Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1887-07-21

30 W ns aEms. IL 10 not ON tu4S
British ship surrenders wither gun
loaded; and he. who strikes blew q
q John Bull, must look for de IN re
g turn.
. As the Yankee came down uEn her
{ the Royal Bounty opened ks.l and
for a time, the action was &ritet
indeed.
r Above the heads of the Anerhal
r sailors, there was continual shizsin,
/ OF cannon-balls. while the grape And
> canister came thick and fast. chipfns
, spars, and making sye-hole. thrqsl
the sails. Even the flae znsne
a. it dic, from ths sag 81 10 Ill
sail, was SO riddled as to 1oo ss il !
whole cannon charge had gon thrsagl
, it.
One of the fore-topsail br,ees being
shot away close to the ysd,A a man
named David Barnaby wc,t doft to
repair the damage. While sitting
astride the yard, having OCCASION to
use his jack-knife, he discovsed. up
on feeling for it in his pocket that it
was gone; and a little furthetinvesti.
CATION showed that the poclet itself
had been shot away. This vas close
work.
The writer well remember Barnaby,
as he appeared long afterwsrd, when
an elderly man; and a NOR satisfac-
tory representative of the American
tar it would be hard to find
In the mean time, such imperfect
glimpses of the Royal Bounty as could
be obtained through the smoke, show.
ed that the broadsides of ae Yankee
were telling with great effect upon her
hull and spars. Her heavy, dark
side revealed a number of large holes
where the cannon.balls had gone
crashing through; her fore-yard had
been shot away in the sings, while
her mizzen topmast had fallen forward
against the main.
Still, however, her commander kept
the cross of Old Albion at his spanker-
gait, and his guns going. Perhaps he
thought Of Hawke and Howe and Dun
have done in his place. At all evants,
he was a brave man, and defended
his ship to the best of his ability.
But the English crew committed
the great error of firing too high; so
that, although the storm of bullets
was severe in the Yankees rigging,
hardly shot touched her hull. AT
length, ranging ahead of the enemy,
she was enabled TO rake him, while,
with his clumsy and half-disabled
ship, he could no longer bring to bear
a full broadside.
1t remained to the merchantmen
only to strike or sink; and, according
ly the meteor flag" at last came
Huttering down to the quarterback.
The ship proved very rich prize,
but, as she was considerably crippled,
and at great distance from the coast
Of the United States, and as, more
over, her unusual bulk would have
made her conspicuous object to the
English cruisers, it was thought best
not to attempt sending her into port.
Therefore, after securing small por-
tions Of the lighter and more valuable
articles of her cargo, the privateer's-
men set her on fire.
It seemed crnel waste OF property,
but war is war, and the enemy, with
the terms reversed, would have done
the same.
have said that the Yankee was
not good at working to windwsrd,
although remarkably fast when carry
ing what sailors call "free sheet.
Upon one occasion, close of the New.
England coast, her qualities in these
respects were severely tested.
Early one morning, British squad.
ron appeared to the leeward Of her,
almost within cannon-shot. As the
wind blew strong gale, it gave the
enemy's stout men of.war q great
advantage, which was increased by
the fact that the line of the feet was
much extended.
In spite of all that the privat eer
could do, the ships began to close in
upon her. and it became evident that
she would be unable to work out OF
the blight" formed by the eonverging
Of the two extremities Of the squad
ron.
The Plantsgenet, seventy-four. roll
ing and plunging, with yards braced
sharp, and royals set, was the nearest
Of the pursuers. As she rose on the
top Of a heavy swell. how fearfully
she ,oomed up Then. sinking in the
trough of the sea, she would throw